Benefit checks make up 39 cents of every dollar of income in Columbus County, North Carolina
In Columbus County, 39.3% of all the income people there received came from benefit checks. That is higher than in 92% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 82% of U.S. counties.
What drives Columbus County's score
In Columbus County, late payments on loans weigh most: the score for late payments on loans is 88.4. About three in five people (55.3%, Q2 2026) have a subprime credit score, a higher share than in 89% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 80.9.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Columbus County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Columbus County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.0%, 2020 to 2024) and bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (95.8, 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 88.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.4% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind8.9% · August 202587th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score55.3% · second quarter of 202689th percentile
-
- 80.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line19.3% · 202485th percentile
- Children below the poverty line25.6% · 202483rd percentile
- People with a disability17.5% · 2020 to 202463rd percentile
- People without health insurance12.7% · 2020 to 202481st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$50,741 · 202490th percentile
-
- 61.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202655th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working23.8% · 2020 to 202467th percentile
-
- 61.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector36.4% · August 202588th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people95.8 · 202533rd percentile
-
- 54.6 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.9% · fiscal year 202777th percentile
-
Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Columbus County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Columbus County, 20.7% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Columbus County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Columbus County had its largest rise, from 31.0% in 2004 to 35.6% in 2009.
In Columbus County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 39.3% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about a quarter more than benefit checks
In Columbus County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 39.3%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Columbus County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 17.6% in 2011 to 19.6% in 2012.
The share of households in Columbus County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen to 22.6%
Low on the chart: 15.9% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Columbus County, North Carolina.
How Columbus County has changed
Columbus County's population had its largest drop, from 55,056 in 2014 to 51,425 in 2019.
Columbus County's population was at its highest on the chart in 2009 and is down 14% since
High on the chart: 58,163 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Columbus County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Columbus County had its largest rise, from 16,052 in 1990 to 19,760 in 1995.
The number of jobs located in Columbus County was at its highest on the chart in 1995 and has since fallen by about a quarter
High on the chart: 19,760 in 1995. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Columbus County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.9% | 2025 4.3% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 22.9% | 2024 19.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $18,538 | 2024 $50,741 |
The table uses 4.3% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Columbus County's history
1808
Formed on December 15, 1808, from parts of Bladen and Brunswick counties. Wikipedia
1994
A thunderstorm in May 1994 did $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
Lightning in July 1999 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1999
A flash flood in September 1999 did $30 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2006
A tornado in November 2006 killed eight people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 58,098. The 2020 Census counted 50,623, 87% of the peak. Census Bureau
-
Since 1977
29 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Columbus County. FEMA
Columbus County beside its neighbors
Of the five counties that border Columbus County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Columbus County ranks 2nd of the six; Robeson County is highest, at 41.0%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robeson County, NC | 97 | 23.7% | 41.0% |
| Bladen County, NC | 95 | 20.6% | 36.6% |
| Columbus County, NC | 82 | 19.3% | 39.3% |
| Horry County, SC | 74 | 14.0% | 32.6% |
| Brunswick County, NC | 42 | 9.0% | 31.9% |
| Pender County, NC | 31 | 10.4% | 25.6% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Columbus County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Columbus County's poverty rate was 19.3% in 2024, 19th highest of 100 in North Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Robeson County, at 23.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Columbus County ranks 19th of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Columbus County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
-
Legal Aid of North Carolina
Legal aid
-
HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Columbus County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Columbus County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.